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US Loses $185 Million Unmanned Blimp.

carbinemike

carbinemike

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I was at work when I heard that they were scrambling military jets to go after a runaway unmanned blimp from the Aberdeen Proving Grounds located northeast of Baltimore. The blimp was drifting northward and ended up well across PA before final crashing. I have seen it from the highway when travelling south. It seemed like overkill until I learned it was worth 180 million and is as long as a football field. Apparently it's part of the east coast air defense system and can track an area as big as Texas. It did take out power to 18,000 as it free floated on the leftover wind of what's left of hurricane Patricia.

If I had a little advanced warning I would gotten the ol' Mossberg and dropped it for them.


A JLENS blimp (Photo: U.S. Air Force)
NORAD scrambled jets on Wednesday to track a military blimp that broke free of its tether at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
A JLENS blimp, short for Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor, was accompanied at 16,000 feet by two F-16s fighter jets from the New Jersey National Guard. The aircraft was eventually secured in Montour County, Pennsylvania.

The blimp (technically an aerostat), detached from its East Coast surveillance location at 11:54 a.m. EST.
“We’re concerned about the safety of the people on the ground across a pretty wide swath of Pennsylvania. The blimp left quite a bit of damage at ground level in its path. … We’re continuing to monitor the situation, but are thankful that something worse did not occur,” Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pennsylvania, said in a statement, Fox News reported.
The $180 million surveillance aircraft’s 6,700-foot cable caused power outages for roughly 18,000 people, regional utility PPL reported.
Click to expand...
 
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HAHAHAHAHAAAHHHAAAHHAHHHAHAHAHHAAAAAAAA!!! MORONS!!!
 
Here's a funny pic of it over PA Amish country
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When I mention government minions I had no idea that it was really true.

The morning radio guys were having fun with this now. They joked that with PA legislature and the governor at a budget impasse, the Peoples Socialist State of Maryland attacked our power grid with a military blimp in a takeover attempt.
 
So much fail these days.

Anyone else see that as a "hey y'all, watch this" moment?
 
The US has gone from making some of the greatest technological advances man has ever seen to not being able to hang on to a big balloon.
 
It's a G**D*** Travesty....

What has happened to our America....!?

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Time left until Obama leaves office:

448 days...06 hours...23 minutes.....13 seconds

{ Time until Friday, January 20, 2017 Washington DC EST }


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Pentagon: Army blimp 'actually still deflating'

The massive Army blimp that broke free from its mooring and drifted from Maryland to Pennsylvania is "actually still deflating," a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday.

"I am not able to give you the mechanics of exactly how they're deflating it," said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis.

The blimp traveled almost 200 miles north at 30 miles per hour, reaching an altitude of 16,000 feet before it lost altitude and speed, landing in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Another Pentagon spokesman confirmed reports that the 240-foot blimp had been shot in order to bring it down, but did not know how close to the ground it was when it was shot.

It's not clear exactly who shot down the blimp.

The blimp, formally known as an aerostat, was part of a three-year research project for the JLENS program, which stands for Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System.

The system consists of two aerostats -- one that provides broad surveillance, and the other that provides more specific surveillance. The blimp that provides more specific surveillance is the one that broke free.

The blimps were both flying at about 6,800 feet, and were tethered to the ground at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., when one of the cables broke near the base.

The blimp then drifted with the about 6,800-foot long cable, which snapped power lines and left tens of thousands of residents in central Pennsylvania without power.

The Pentagon is working with local communities and residents to gather an assessment of how much damage was caused, and how much it will cost to repair it.

As for the blimp itself, Pentagon officials say it's too early to know how much damage it suffered, and how much it will cost to repair.

"The primary wreckage is in Muncy, Pennsylvania in the vicinity of Eagle Road and Muncy Exchange Road," Davis said.

Davis said one rough estimate was $235 million for each blimp.

The blimp came down in the woods, about a 10 minute walk from a main road, he said. State police have secured the crash site, Davis said.

In addition, a JLENS recovery team has arrived at the crash site, and is working very closely
 
I saw video on tv where you could overhear gunshots at the balloon and the commentary said that the state police were shooting it with shotguns.

I guess so much for a 185 million bucks.

I could probably buy a F16 for less than that. I think they're what, 160 mil?

WTH were they thinking?
 
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